Brake beam



Oct 20, 1953 c. R. BUSCH 2,656,019

BRAKE BEAM Filed April 14, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR (If/,4,6155 if aa/n Oct. 20, 1953 c. R. BUSCH 2,656,019 l BRAKE: BEAM l Filed April 14, 195o 3 sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEY C. R. BUSCH BRAKE BEAM Oct. 20, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 14, 1950 BY M ATTORNEY Patented ct. 20, A1953 BRAKE BEAM Charles R. Busch, Orange, N. J., assignor to Buffalo Brake Beam Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 14, 1950, Serial No. 155,993

3 Claims. l

When a hanger type of truss brake beam in particular, though not necessarily of that type so far as the present invention is concerned, has the compression and tension members united in and to substantial sleeves or housings, or what are preferably designated as truss locks, for receiving freely removable brake heads, and where the ends of the tension member have upset or oifset abutments engaging with the terminals of the compression member, it has been found in tests thereof that it is desirable to unite the compression member and truss locks by one o-r more welds at each of the ends of the compression member which welds also permeate and unite the ends of the tension member therewith and to use entirely separate welds spaced therefrom and which unite the truss locks directly with, and only with, the upset abutments for the sake of safety and increased life of the brake beam.

If, as required in the fatiguing of truss brake beams, a nine-ton load is applied at the strut of the beam at the rate of fifty times a minute, it deiects the beam downwardly le", and this constant loading has a tendency to pull the compression member downward thus lengthening it as it has been previously bowed by cambering, with the result that the compression member hammers at the shoulders of the upset abutments and after a few hundred thousand strokes one, or both, abutments will even be damaged or entirely broken off.

However, by locating some welds so as to unite the compression member, the tension member and the truss locks and adding entirely separate welds outboard thereof and between the truss locks and the upset abutments at the ends of the tension member, the life of a truss brake beam according to the present invention has been lengthened to withstand approximately a million and a half strokes or reversals without breaking any of its parts, thus producing a superior unitary brake beam structure.

The preceding being the principal objects of the present invention, the same consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be herein described and then pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings showing suitable embodi ments of the invention and wherein- Fig. l is a complete top plan of a brake beam according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a broken away end portion of the brake beam;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

CII

(Cl. 18S-223.1)

Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 1 as indicated by the line 4 4;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section on line 6--6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 'l' is a transverse section on line 'l-l of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the inboard end of the truss lock;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section on the line Q--S of Fig. 8;

Fig. l0 is an end elevation of the outboard end of the truss lock;

Fig. 1l is a perspective view of the truss lock showing some of the interior thereof; and

Fig. 12 illustrates a modification in longitudinal section, and a brake head mounted thereon in broken lines.

Referring to Figs. 1, 5 and rI of the drawings, there is illustrated a cambered compression member I5 having webs I6, Il and I8, the web li be# ing substantially vertical and the substantially parallel webs I6 and i3 extending therefrom in the same direction as each other at the edges thereof. Preferably a bowed tension member I9 of strap form is employed having its greatest width substantially vertical. Each end of the tension member is provided with an upset or offset abutment 2t, this extending partly around the end so as to provide an inboardly facing shoulder 2| around three sides of said member, namely at the back and the upper and lower sides of the tension member. Between the abutment 2G and the bow of the tension member the latter is provided at each end with deiiected end portions 22 extending outwardly to each abutment, each of which end portions 22 is snugly nested within an end of the compression member so that the shoulder 2l at each end engages with the three webs of the compression member there by attaching the two members together. A suitable strut 23 is employed to connect the compression and tension members. Such assembly is substantially well known.

To successfully maintain the truss, suitable housings or truss locks 24 adapted to receive what are freely removable brake heads are mounted on the associated ends of the compression and tension members.

Referring to the figures of the drawings genn erally, each truss lock 2li in brief includes a solid sleeve-like body having preferably a rectangw lar girth or substantially so and Yof suitable length. Each truss lock 24 being hollow provides a socket for the corresponding ends of the compression and tension members, it being formed with a back wall 25 and a front Wall 25, of which the front Wall is the thickest at 2l', and the wall 26 being gradually decreased however to pro-vide an inclined bearing 28 for the tension member. The inboard end of the truss lock preferably has a ange or rim 29 for restrictingfthe inb'oard position ef a removable brake head.

A truss lock having been pushed on to each end of the assembled compression and tensioii members, the outwardly bowed portion of the tension member I9 has bearing onthe reduced and inclined surface 28 for thefill lelifgthff said surface, and the end portions 2,2 w'ill bear on the intermediate webv ofthe compres'- sion member. The abutment 2816.15 thetens'lo member at the same time will snugly fit into.

the truss lock between, the back wall ES arid the thicker partI Zlof Athe front wall. Y v

As shown in lFigs-f2, 5; Grand '7 tol2`,'-eaehtruss look has a hole `3e which registers with 'a hole l "in the end of vthe compression member eno within which a weld l3i. is `made, and ithe-truss lock 'also `has Ia hole 33 utboardiof hole 3l) and Iregisterifnguwith abutment 2t, it being spaced l'from hole-3Q a suitable distance Ybeyond the compression member and in which an entirely sepvarate Weld 35i is made, the weld 3E permeating the end portion 22 of the tension rheriibe'rl'and v the weld 132! permeating the abutment 223 thereof.

fte applying the brake shoes Y'to the v`wheels of a raiiwa'y `-`car.

Eh Weld rffieby' iS'i'la-egebut 1/2". a0i.s's :but they will each penetrate intothe'surroundling rietal for a distance vof approximately 3/4 "as such welds ha-ve'proven tobe satisfactory'fr the purpose. ,A a n Y Brake heads v35, 56' :are preferably 'used such as areshowrl and'described Patent No. 2,490,204, dated lecelribe'r 6, 1949, although any other Yde'- gsirable and vtflse'alile type of *readily removable l'lvea'dus stronglyand substantially heldfrigidly on l b "the truss 4lock by a spring key 31 Vor shock'ab'- sorber.

VvReferring 'to Fig. 12a modification of the de'- seribed brake beam is illustrated and vthe Vsame reference numerals are *fused therein for parts 'respondi'ng 4with similar Yparts 'iil the other 'figures of the drawings. a, v A v In this case the compressionmember l5 termi# hates substantially in im@ wat the pane if outboard side of the 'brake head whieh is indi"- f'cated by 'broken lines, and the truss lock itself is V longer than previously described as it egte'rds 'at 38 beyond the outboard side of the brake head. I-ie'nce the truss lockn extends beyond the V'zone thereof which is adapted to just receive the remoi'zable brake head; The shoulder 2l of the abutment on the end of the tension member would then be positioned substantially in the plane of the outboard side of thebrake headj so that the hole 3,3 and weld 311Y would be located 7.5

shown in Fig. 12 beyond the brake head.

es, or truss locks can be by forging or casting but of steel,

Y iron, malleable Viron or any other satisfactory f-Iaterial;

y It Will be obvious to those skilled in the art that mr br vless changes .or modifications can be made in the described and illustrated brake beam without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

LA truss brake beam, including a' channel `compression member 'with upper and lower Webs variela web intermediate thereof, a tension mem; ber having valigned.outwardly dected 'ehdpoil tions f Substantially the Sallie Width as ythe -ii'ii'- Ite-IIecliate web and extending vparallel With lSuch 'web in bearing Chtaet with ysuch Web lI vtheir entire rwidth, the deflected -en'd portions extended beyond the terminals of the orpressieli inem; 'ber-and having backwardly Voffset abutmentsprfoi vi'dng inboardly-'r'aoingshouldersengagedlengtm `wise of the compression member-ih abutment with the 'said terminals, truss locks Y adapted to reoeive freely removable brake heads, the truss Vlb'cks having longitudinal I'sockets Shll'gl'y `v'receivihgg with a close lit all around, the ends of the 'compres'- sion member and Vthe deflected ends of the'tension member-as Ywel-l asthe abutifherits, vthey intermedie -at`e web and thebacks of the truss lo'cks being directly -united'by through weld's spaced'inwardly from the abutnerits, sueh welds also 'uniting the `ou'isxvarliliz deflected er-ids of vthe tens-ion member with the Aintf'erm'ediate web; and separate weld's spaced `from such welds and extending through 'the truss lock's and into the abutrn'ehts a 2. A truss brake beamy-ifnclu'ding `a compression member with upperand lower and a web intermediate thereof; tension inember having aligned outwardly deflected 'end lporbf Substantially the Sande width as v'the intermediate vvb 'and vStal'ld. in the Channel Y'Cif the compression member Ain complete bearing throughout with the 'corresponding surface 'or the channel, the Vdefle'l'jedJeil'l pitieils extended beyond the terminals of the compression member and having backwardlyoisetabutinents pro'- vidi'ng inboardly facing shoulders around the back and the upper'and lower surfaces of theend portions of the tension member, such shoulders engaged Vlengthwise of the compression member vand in abutment around the entire surface of `said terminala trussflocks adapted to reeeiye freely removable vbralfze heads, the truss loclis having longitudinalsockets snugly receiving, with a close t all around, the ends of the compre ion member and the deected ends of fthe Atension member as well as the abutments, the intermediate web and the backsof the truss locks being directly united by through welds spaced inwardly from the abutmets, such welds also uniting the putwardly deflected ends of the tension member With the intermediate web, arid separate welds spaced from such welds and extending through the truss locks and into the abutments.

3. A truss brake beam, including a channel compression member with upper and lower Webs and a Web intermediate thereof, a tension member having aligned outwardly deflected end portions of substantially the same Width as the intermediate web and seated in the channel of the compression member in complete bearing throughout with the corresponding surface of the channel, the deflected end portions extended beyond the terminals of the compression member and having backwardly oiset abutments providing inboardly facing shoulders around the back and the upper and lower surfaces of the end portions of the tension member, such shoulders engaged lengthwise of the compression member and in abutment around the entire surface of said terminals, truss locks adapted to receive freely removable brake heads, the truss locks having longitudinal sockets snugly receiving, with a close t all around, the ends of the compression member and the deflected ends of the tension member as well as the abutments, the intermediate web and the backs of the truss locks being directly united by through welds spaced inwardly from the abutments, such welds also uniting the outwardly deiiected ends of the tension member with the intermediate web, and separate welds spaced from such welds and extending through the truss locks and into the abutments, and each truss lock extended outboard of the brake head receiving zone thereof, the abutments and separate welds also outboard of that zone.

CHARLES R. BUSCH.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,236,145 Burns Aug. '7, 1917 2,493,239 Ekholm Jan. 3, 1950 2,493,913 Busch Jan. 10, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 618,890 France Dec. 21, 1926 

